A female electrical contact element comprising an elastic holding element that is able to maintain in position a male electrical contact element in a generally cylindrical form is already known.
In particular, a female contact element in three parts is known from document FR 2 692 080, such as represented in FIG. 1 of the prior art. A first part is comprised of a rear shank 2 designed to receive an electrical conductor such as a cable. The rear shank 2 is made of a material allowing said shank 2 to be crimped onto the electrical conductor. A second part 3, or active part, is made of a material having high elasticity as well as good electrical conductibility. The active part 3 is designed to receive a male contact element, or terminal, in a generally cylindrical form. The active part 3 is, for example, formed from a socket divided up into longitudinal slots 4 in order to arrange a plurality of longitudinal tongues 5. The tongues 5 are made in such a way as to present, at the location of a free end designed to receive the male terminal, an inner swelling. Said inner swelling is designed to be in contact with the male terminal when said terminal is inserted in the active part 3 of the female terminal 1. Around the front part 3 is mounted a tube 6 joined on the common base 7 of the tongues 5. The tube 6 supports the tongues 5 when they are deformed by the introduction of the male terminal into the active part 3. When the male terminal penetrates between the tongues 5 of the active part 3 of the female terminal 1, the deformation of the tongues 5 is such that the part lacking swelling of said tongues 5 takes the general form of an S, while the part with swellings remains straight with relation to the tube 6. Each tongue 5 therefore is supported by the male terminal on the entire surface of its swelling, which allows good electrical conduction between the female terminal and the male terminal and maintenance of the male terminal in the active part 3 of the female terminal 1 to be ensured, even in the case of significant vibrations.
However, such a female terminal is difficult to make inasmuch as the terminal is formed of three independent parts that are integral with each other. Therefore, it is necessary to develop each of the three parts of the female terminal very precisely in such a way as to guarantee a good connection between each of the pieces. Particularly, it is important to make the tube 6 with a very high precision, which must be joined on the active part 3, since contact between the active part 3 and the tube 6 must be able to be made on the entire length of the tongues 5.